Esperanza Blooming
by jonesian
Summary: It's been almost a year since the events at the end of Esperanza Rising. Through a bit of trouble, Miguel realizes just how much his "reina" has grown up. Rated T just in case. I do not own any part of "Esperanza Rising", except that we share a Mexican heritage!
1. Chapter 1

Everything was different in California. Esperanza had known that the second she stepped onto the Central Valley soil. Nevermind the daily life she missed living, with its luxuries and comforts, and the expectations of carrying that lifestyle for the rest of her life and into the next generation. She wouldn't say it to anyone, but she enjoyed being on the top half of Mexican society; she knew that there were far fewer people on her family's level than on the level of her servants. No, not in California, where she was now one of the thousands of immigrants who came here because they were at the "bottom" of Mexican society. Why else would they all say they've come "for a better life"?

But these were arrogant thoughts which Esperanza thought very rarely, after two years of living in the Valley. The one thought hanging over her head which she thought of more and more was the future, and what it could have been in Aguascalientes. After being presented, she would hold and attend dances and dinners, meet men, and marry the one who made her smile the most (that was always a priority, seeing how much her Papa made her Mama smile, with laughter, with admiration, with mischievousness). They would live in Aguascalientes but travel, visiting friends and family. She would raise his kids in all the comforts they both enjoyed, with the finest tutors, so they could branch out into the world in whatever business they chose. She would grow old and knit like Abuelita, with her husband by her side.

Now, what? Now… what? She would work. Mostly just work, and worry about her mother. Occasionally Esperanza would close her eyes and imagine what her life would look like in five or ten years. She would do this not particularly because she was a dreamer, but because she really just wanted to know. Her life had changed over night before, and it could happen again in this unpredictable place. But that, she was told, was the beauty of America; you had the power to make your future.


	2. Chapter 2

"You've gotten really good at taking care of people, Esperanza," smiled Isabel as Esperanza cooed Pepe to sleep. He and his twin, Lupe, have been real handfuls lately, having learned to run, and run everywhere. Recently Pepe ran full-speed down the porch stairs of their house, and injured his hands and forehead pretty badly. Esperanza helped him get the swelling down and the bleeding stop. Isabel was right, Esperanza had developed somewhat of a sense for taking care of not only the babies, but for many of the ailments people in the house had. Falling from the grace of high stature in Mexico to the "bottom" rung of society in California made her incredibly empathetic to other peoples' struggles, figurative and even physical. She could almost "feel" what they needed, just like she could feel that her mother needed Abuela.

"She should be a nurse, right Isabel?" Miguel walked into the cabin where they were, just getting home from a day working at the local car mechanic shop. Esperanza's heart skipped a beat whenever he appeared. She hated when he spoke of her in third person when she was right there; it's like he was observing her. It made her so much more self-conscious.

It's been like this for nearly a year. She remembers how, without looking, she reached out her hand and held his. They shared a few intimate moments since then, mostly when she felt her lowest, or on the rare occasion when his own strength of spirit seemed to waver for a time. In these moments, they shared lingering hugs, and sometimes their deepest thoughts. Only then, she wouldn't be afraid to look him directly in the eye when either of them were at their most vulnerable. At all other times, she became much more shy around him, her lifelong friend. It was hard, forcing herself not to rely on him so heavily for strength, but she herself grew stronger because of it. At least, during the working hours of the day.

"She should be! Oh, Esperanza you would make such a good nurse, or a doctor!" exclaimed Isabel excitedly.

Esperanza laughed. "I'm not sure about that. I think I have to heal more than cuts and flus to do that."


	3. Chapter 3

"What would you like to do for your birthday, Esperanza," asked Josefina one day. She, Esperanza, Miguel, Alfonso and the twins were enjoying a breezy Sunday afternoon on the porch.

"Oh, I don't know if I need anything," she shook her head and smiled. Honestly, she hadn't given her birthday much thought. It would be her quincenera in two weeks, but she stopped thinking about parties since leaving Mexico. She thought about her Papa, how he would have wanted a lavish celebration for his daughter. Papa could be the epitome of class, but mostly he felt joy in the simplest of ceremonies. The thought of listening to the Earth's heartbeat with him flooded her mind suddenly. He was in that heartbeat.

Miguel saw from the expression on her face that Esperanza crawled into her own mind, and knew that she was probably thinking about her Papa. "Anza, want to take a drive?"

"Now?"

"Yeah, right now, before it gets dark."

"Sure."

"Where are we going, Miguel?" Esperanza tried to tease. "I don't really feel like going to your garage again."

"You'll see, mi reina," he replied casually, without looking at her, and motioned as if to calm her down. They drove for nearly half and hour, joking and chatting about whatever was on their minds. She and Miguel hadn't bantered this much in a long time, and Esperanza found joy in just talking to her best friend again.

Lately, whenever they were alone, they seemed more physically aware of themselves and each other. About to turn fifteen, Esperanza bloomed as beautifully as the roses at the house. She let her hair loose as much as she could, as well it should have her favorite part of herself, long and wavy as it was. Her dress hugged her curves just loosely so she wouldn't soil it with sweat in the daily heat. She managed to keep her slender slender figure which she's had since Mexico. Miguel on the other hand, seemed to become more of a grown man every day, having just turned eighteen. His muscles became more defined, and all his features somehow more delineated.

Esperanza didn't often get to ride in the truck far away from the cabin, so this drive felt like a deep breath for her, hypnotized by the endless rows of food before them.

"We're here," Miguel smiled as he turned off the ignition. A field that was unfamiliar to Esperanza expanded far and wide: a vineyard.

"Miguel, this is incredible," she said calmly, still trying to take in the sheer size of the field in. "It… even smells like home."

"I stopped to pick up gas around here one day and asked; it's the same species of grape like at home," he said.

Esperanza looked back at him and grinned "I can tell!" She started to walk towards the vines, and Miguel followed, knowing what she was about to do. It's been awhile since he's listened to the earth. He had done it several times since she first showed him, and each time he did it, he thought about her, not so much about her father. Esperanza was all the Mexico he needed.

They walked into the rows of vines, and although the site could have been better cared for (there were a few loose stakes on the ground here and there), it was beautiful. Esperanza stopped, and rested on the ground. Miguel lied down right next to her, looking at her with something that seemed like tenderness. She was afraid she wouldn't be able to hear the earth's heartbeat because her own heart was thumping so loudly.

"The first time you took me out to do this," he said, "It's one of my favorite memories of us." Us. It wasn't like he never referenced them together, but it felt different to Esperanza this time. The word "us" was like sweet fruit for her ears, colorful and loaded with savory implications.

After about a minute of silence, it came. Shoomp, shoomp, shoomp!

Esperanza exhaled deeply as she saw that he heard it too. This felt like more than her past home in Mexico; this felt like this is where she belonged. Like home for her soul. This time though, as she began to close her eyes, she felt Miguel's hand cover hers. Her heart just about burst. Neither of them wanted to let go of that moment, so like that they stayed, eyes fluttering closed, for what seemed like an hour.

"We should go," Esperanza whispered.

"Maybe," Miguel opened his eyes. "Or maybe not just yet."

"No?" she smiled?

"Well, I like staying out with you."

After some more time, Esperanza stood up to stretch. How long had been out? The sun was about to hit the hills in the distance. Just then she saw something rush across the row they laid in. "Miguel," she patted his shoulder. "Miguel get up."

"What is it?" he asked urgently as he stood. They heard a growl to their right, and they knew. A wild dog. Miguel extended his arm as if to shield Esperanza. They dog rushed out from behind a thick bushel and jumped in front of them.

Esperanza began to yell and growl at the dog, trying to scare it away with the size of her body and voice, but it was afraid of either of them. The dog barked harshly at them. Behind Esperanza was one of the wooden stakes lying on the ground. She slowly reached for it while Miguel tried to shoo it away as well. When Miguel looked back to see what Esperanza was reaching for, the wild dog lunged forward onto Miguel. The dog bit into Miguel's right lower leg, right as Esperanza hurled her stake at him, jabbing it in the eye. The dog immediately let go of Miguel's leg and ran away, crying.

"Are you okay?!" Miguel managed to ask before he went down on the ground.

"Me? Are _you_ okay?!"

Miguel cursed through his gritted teeth. She rolled up his pant leg and saw that the dog had bitten into him much more deeply than she thought a dog could. The dog pierced right into his skin like a nail by a hammer. The lower half of the bite wasn't as bad, but the upper mark left a deep tear into a calf muscle, letting dark red blood gush out. She tried to hold in a gasp, and looked up at Miguel, who seemed like he was holding his breath.

"We're too far from home, Miguel I'm so sorry," Esperanza babbled as she furrowed her brows and went into a state of emergency, something which Miguel had never seen. Esperanza scanned her surroundings, as if to see if there was anyone to help. She ripped off a piece of her own dress and wrapped it tightly around his leg where the bite was. "That's too tight," Miguel squirmed.

"I know, just leave it like that for now. I'll be right back," she said determinedly. "Oh, hold this," she handed him the stake, and ran towards the truck. Esperanza had learned a lot about home remedies from Abuelita, Josefina, Hortensia and a few friends at Mr. Yakoto's market. Remedies included teas, oils and mixtures made from plants, including yarrow. She picked some yarrow plants she observed growing like weeds at the foot of some rows of grapes near the road, and within a few minutes ran back to Miguel, still groaning in pain.

"I almost thought you left," he said.

"No, no way! I'm right here." She looked him in the eyes. "Okay, let's see it again. She carefully unwrapped the cloth and saw the blood leakage was no longer significant. "Oh, thank God, it worked. I wanted to lower the blood flow to the wound. Now, I'm going to rub these leaves over the bite, because it's pretty open and deep and I don't want any of it to get infected," she explained in a calm, focused voice. "Let me know if it stings, I'll go slower," she looked up. Miguel was amazed; Esperanza had matured so much since coming out here. She would, without a doubt, be a very different person had she stayed in Aguascalientes. Her focus, her calmness under pressure and attention to detail astounded Miguel nearly as much as the fact that he hadn't realized the extent of her capabilities. He suddenly felt slightly ashamed that he didn't recognize her sheer strength sooner. There was something sophisticated about the way she carried herself now. She had a solid goal in mind, and seemed to know exactly what she was doing to achieve it.

Esperanza decided to rip another piece of her dress off, as the previous fabric was too soaked to reapply. She quickly tied it on top of the yarrow leaves and glanced up at him, catching him staring at her. "You're surprised I know how to use leaves?" she smiled mischievously.

Miguel smirked, "Something like that. Anza, I just don't know where to start with you."

"If you're about to scold me for bringing you out here, don't. I already feel badly enough. It's my fault," she shook her head. "Miguel I am so, so sorry."

"Scold? God no, not at all! I drove us out here without really knowing the place, I made us stay longer. No, don't blame yourself. What I was going to say was that I don't know where to start with you because you… surprise me. Everything you just did, with the dog, and then the wound, I just, I feel sort of… humbled by you."

Esperanza looked at his covered wound, easing out of her state of urgency. She looked at him, then at the sun, blazing orange streaks over the contours of the hilltop to the West. She stood up next to him, taking everything in through the senses. She felt Miguel's eyes on her, the breeze getting colder, the grapes unleashing their fragrance, and her own strength stepping into the light. She felt Miguel lean against her, resting his head on her hip. She instinctively reached down and ran her fingers on the back of his hair, letting her senses walk her through the moment. Miguel shut his eyes to do the same.

"Mi reina, you amaze me every day," he exhaled.

Esperanza was shocked to hear him say all these things, but she surprised to also find herself excited and somehow relieved. For as long as she's known him, he seemed to always be ahead of her, in age of course, but also in knowledge, in wisdom, in experience. It felt wonderful to hear that he respected her and her knowledge. She felt like perhaps she has been wanting him to feel that way about her for a very long time, and she didn't even know it.

Now, she just wanted this moment to last. She wanted him to lean on her the way she had been doing, consciously and sub-consciously, for the past ten years. Still, she could feel the sun setting over the field every passing second, and knew that their stay was ending. She squatted next to him, put her left arm around his waist, and brought his right arm up and around her neck, positioned to rise together and help him limp to the truck.

She could feel him gazing at her, and her face felt hot. As his arm rested on her shoulder, she found her head closer to his. She whispered, "We should go," and he nodded, but didn't didn't take his eyes off of her. In fact, his eyes drifted to her lips when he slowly leaned into her space. Esperanza didn't know where to look, because she wasn't sure if this was really happening. Miguel was almost unrecognizable in this moment. He was usually the embodiment of stability and level-headedness. Now, he was on the ground, wounded, humbled, and vulnerable. Esperanza felt like she could easily, really hurt him if she were to deny him right now. Of course, that was the last thing she actually wanted to do. She closed the gap between them with a tender kiss, and her heart pounded.

She found that his arm on her shoulder was bringing her closer, and his other hand lifted to cup her cheek. His lips on hers was beyond anything she had ever felt before. It felt like the past two years burst open and dissolved into butterflies, fluttering uncontrollably inside her.

The kissing got faster and harder. Apparently Miguel had wanted this too. But he sun had officially set over the hills, and the orange glow of daylight was fading rapidly. "We really should go," she smiled widely in between kisses. How do people pull themselves away from kissing at all? she thought.

"Mhm," he managed to utter as he brought her closer with a mischievous smile and a kiss. Slowly, he let go of her cheek, and eased out of their motions.

She slowly stood up with him and began walking to the truck at the end of the row. The smell of ripe grapes filled her lungs, flushing out the hot breath of him from inside her. Her heart was light, and she tried to stop herself from smiling.


	4. Chapter 4

They cruised back home in the truck, sharing little confessions and teasing each other again. "How will we explain this bite?" joked Esperanza.

Miguel smirked as he looked ahead. "We'll tell them the truth! The truth about how I fought off a pack of coyotes as you fainted in my arms," he looked at her playfully as he reached for her hand.

"Try it, I dare you," Esperanza rolled her eyes as she let her fingers intertwine with his. In silence she began to think about how she would proceed tomorrow, and everyday after that. It felt to her like something promising and beautiful just bloomed into existence, and it was up to her to keep it alive. But this was completely unforeseen. Unpredictable, like everything that brought her here. One thing she was sure of was Miguel. He was an anchor that kept the family together when despondency caused them to drift. But he had always done that, Esperanza realized. He was in Mexico, and Mexico was deeply inside him. He was a part of her past, and a part of her expanding present. Esperanza didn't know what lie ahead in the future, but she knew who would be there to help her create it.


End file.
